Marjorie Taylor Greene tells courtroom that she’s a ‘victim’ of the Jan. 6 riot

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, defending herself against an attempt to remove her from the November ballot, declared that she was a “victim” and not a supporter of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Testifying at an administrative hearing where a group of voters is trying to boot her from the ballot for allegedly helping incite an insurrection against the U.S. government, Ms. Greene said she never encouraged violence and objected to accusations that she fueled the unrest.

The Georgia Republican forcefully asserted that she, as a lawmaker at the Capitol, was a victim of the pro-Trump mob.

“I was in the House chamber when it happened. I had to be evacuated to safety. We were held for hours in a secret location protected by Capitol police [and] military members for hours until they cleared the Capitol. Yes, I was a victim of the riot that day,” Mrs. Greene said.

Friday’s hearing proceeded after a federal judge ruled this week that Mrs. Greene failed to persuade her the challenge was unconstitutional and should be thrown out. 

Ron Fein, the legal director of Free People for Free Speech which is representing the voters, opened his remarks by comparing Jan. 6 to the Civil War, arguing that Mrs. Greene should be disqualified from running in violation of the 14th amendment.

Under the Civil War-era 14th amendment, an elected official who participates in an insurrection against the government can be barred from running for office.

“Instead of violence against the foreign empire as we saw it in 1776, [Greene] encouraged and helped facilitate violent resistance to our own government, our democracy, and our Constitution,” Mr. Fein said. “In doing so, she engaged in exactly the type of conduct that triggers disqualification under section three of the 14th amendment, which is to say she engaged in insurrection.”

Mrs. Greene said she never urged anyone to be violent but instead asked people to encourage their representatives to object to President Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.

“I was asking people for a peaceful march which everyone is entitled to do under their First Amendment,” Mrs. Greene said. “I was not asking them to actively engage in violence or any type of action.”

Mrs. Greene was also questioned on her social media use, including shares and likes of posts that signaled using violence against Democrats, as well as conversations she had with members ahead of Jan. 6. 

A judge will make a recommendation to Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger whether Mrs. Greene should remain on the ballot, based on the evidence presented.

If Mrs. Greene is disqualified from the ballot, voters will receive a notice before Georgia’s May 24 primary.

Similar efforts to disqualify those who objected to the 2020 election results have targeted other GOP members.

A challenge was first presented by a group of North Carolina voters against Rep. Madison Cawthorn, accusing him of the same violation of the 14th amendment.

A judge later blocked the challenge against Mr. Cawthorn, issuing a novel order that cited a post-Civil War law that later forgave Confederate soldiers and sympathizers.

A Democratic challenger to Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana filed similar allegations against the Republican with the state elections commission.

Ohio protesters have also held demonstrations to keep Rep. Jim Jordan, a Republican, off the ballot this year for the same reason, though little has come out of the effort in Ohio.